Bloodlines
by PrehistoricCat
Summary: When Connor is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, his world is turned upside down - but there are further shocks around the corner that will change his life completely
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures, no copyright intended**

**A/N : This is in response to the Plot Bunny challenge on Denial on LiveJournal, 15/2/10 - won't post the details of the challenge as it will spoil the twists in the tale for those that haven't seen the challenge. **

**Major angst alert!**

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Connor had been here so many times before, and it never got easier. Needles, blood tests, scans, x-rays, hospitals, drugs …. It had all been a major part of his life for almost two years. He had hoped he could leave it all behind and file it away in the back of his head when he was finally given the "all clear" – but it seemed that was not going to be the case.

He'd not been feeling well for a few weeks, but had dismissed it as working too hard and not eating properly. Then, he'd fallen over during a chase and the bruise on his leg turned black, purple and green almost immediately. In most people, this wouldn't cause alarm, but in Connor it re-awoke his worst nightmare. He'd hoped he was just being paranoid.

The doctor came back to the desk and sat facing Connor directly. "I've been looking through your old files, Connor" he began "You've been in remission for just over 5 years now?" Connor nodded. "And you've been in good health until now, looking after yourself?

"Just tell me, Dr Johnson. It's back isn't it?"

The doctor nodded "I'm sorry, Connor, yes, you've had a relapse"

--

Abby was worried about Connor. She knew he'd been to the hospital to get some blood test results. When she'd had her tests last year, the receptionist at the doctor's surgery just gave her the results over the phone. If Connor had been called into the hospital, it must be something bad. He'd come home and gone straight up to his room, without a word. She made him a cheese sandwich and a mug of tea, and took it up to him.

"Hey, are you hungry?" she said softly. Connor had his head buried under the duvet. He muttered something she couldn't hear. "Conn?". He didn't respond. "OK, look, I'll leave it here on the side for you. If you want to talk… well you know where I am"

She started to make her way back down the stairs when she heard "Abs?". She turned round, Connor was sitting up in bed and he'd been crying.

"What's wrong Conn?" she said, sitting on the bed and putting her arm around his shoulder. She could feel him trembling, and he began to cry. She pulled him close to her, allowing his head to rest on her chest. She let him cry, just sitting there stroking his hair. After several minutes, he eventually pulled away and looked at Abby "Do you want to talk about it?"

He took a deep breath. "I have … Leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia to be precise"

Abby gasped. She didn't know what to say. She squeezed his hand and fought back her own tears, realising Connor needed her to be strong.

"It's not the first time. I was diagnosed with it at 17, right in the middle of my A-levels. I had months of chemo, and luckily it worked. I had some follow up treatments, and studied for my exams whilst going in and out of hospital" He closed his eyes as the memories of that awful period came flooding back, the vomiting, the tiredness, losing huge chunks of his hair. It didn't really hit him how serious things were, until one of the other patients who had been diagnosed at the same time as him died. "I was one of the lucky ones I've been clear of it for five years" he said, staring at his feet.

Abby's head felt like it was going to explode. She had so many questions, but didn't know how to ask them. Shakily, she eventually asked "What's the prognosis?"

"I don't know. I have to go back to see the specialist in a few days and he'll go through the options with me" he was beginning to cry again "Abby, I don't think I can do this again"

"Yes you can, Connor. We'll fight this, we'll do whatever it takes to get you well again" She pulled him close to her again, allowing herself to cry a little as well with him.

--

Abby sat at her desk in the ARC, lost in her thoughts. She had glanced at her watch and knew Connor would be in with the specialist now. She'd offered to go with him, but he said he'd rather go alone, and despite her protests, he went. Sarah brought her a coffee over. "Thinking about Connor?"

"Yeah" Abby replied. "It's so unfair! To get it once in your life is cruel enough, but to have it come back …. " her face crumpled.

"He'll be OK. He's fit, and he's looked after himself these last few years" Sarah said. "Connor's tougher than he lets on sometimes"

"I know, but leukaemia ….. there was this kid in my year at school, she had it. She missed two years of school and then came back, all better. Then six months later she had a relapse and died" Abby blinked away the tears in her eyes.

Sarah grabbed a nearby chair and sat next to Abby. "Before we start getting upset, let's see what the doctor says today. Whatever the outcome, we just have to let Connor know we're here for him"

Abby's mobile rang, it was Connor "Hey, how did it go?" she said.

"Can you come and pick me up?" he said. His voice seemed strained.

"Sure, I'll be there in 15 minutes" She grabbed her bag and looked at Sarah. "He doesn't sound good" Sarah squeezed her hand, then Abby took a deep breath, and prepared to be the strong person Connor needed right now.

--

"So what treatment are they going to give you?" Abby asked. She was hunting for a couple of frozen pizzas for their dinner. When Connor didn't reply, a thought suddenly hit her "Connor, you are going to have treatment this time aren't you?"

"Yes" he said. "They're going to do a more intensive treatment this time. Apparently there is a better chance of it working if I have a bone marrow transplant"

"Well that's good isn't it?"

"The chemo made me so ill last time, Abby. Even after it stopped, it took me months before I got my strength back. This time, after the chemo has cleared the cancerous cells, I'll have the bone marrow transplant, and that will mean months in hospital again …. being in isolation, keeping everything sterile so that I don't get an infection."

Abby came over and hugged him. "It'll be worth it, if it means you getting better"

"Maybe it would just be easier if I didn't…."

Abby thumped him in the chest "Don't you dare talk like that! You can do this … WE can do this … I'm not letting you just give up without a fight!"

Connor saw the look of concern in Abby's eyes. "We?" he said. She nodded. He wiped the silent tears that were flowing down Abby's face, softly brushing her cheek. His lips brushed lightly against hers, sighing as her warmth touched him. She returned his kiss, feeling a rush of excitement as her lips parted and allowed his tongue in. It was brief, but said so much. It told Connor he was not alone.

--

Connor glanced over at Abby. She'd taken a few days off work to drive him up to his mum's. He hadn't wanted to tell her his news over the phone, and he also wanted to ask her about being a bone marrow donor. The doctor had said a family member would be the best match and the transplant would be more likely to be a success. His mum was the only family he had. He'd been asleep most of the journey, and felt guilty. Abby was doing him a huge favour and he hadn't even had the decency to stay awake.

"Hey sleepy! Glad you're awake, I'm going to need directions once we get off the motorway at the next junction" Abby said.

"Thanks for this" he said. "You're sure you're OK staying at the Travelodge tonight?"

"Course I am Conn. You need time alone with your mum. I'd just be intruding"

Half an hour later, Abby pulled up outside Connor's mum's house. She watched him walk slowly up the driveway, and waited to make sure someone was home. She saw a lady open the door, a huge grin on her face. She hugged her son, and Abby watched them disappear inside before she drove off. She had to park up two minutes later to let her tears fall. Connor's mum had looked so happy to see him, but within a few minutes her world would be shattered too.

--

"It's been far too long!" Mrs Temple said "To what do I owe the pleasure? Not that you need an excuse to come and see your old mum of course sweetie" she hugged him. She stepped back and looked at his face, she knew something was wrong. "Is everything OK Connor?"

"No mum it's not" he said. "You'd better sit down".

"Connor, you're scaring me" Mrs Temple sat down on the sofa and motioned for her son to sit next to her. "What is it?" her voice was barely a squeak.

"Mum" Connor took a deep breath "The leukaemia … I've had a relapse"

"Nooooooo!" she buried her head in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. All Connor could do was put his arms around her. "But you've been well for so long!"

"I know"

After a few minutes, she went into the kitchen and began making herself busy. Connor followed her. "When do you start your treatment?"

"As soon as I get back from here"

"Same as before?"

"Stronger doses this time. And then they're suggesting I have a bone marrow transplant after as well" He watched his mum shaking as she tried to fill the kettle.

"Assuming they can find you a suitable donor?"

"That's partly why I'm here, mum. The best chance of it working is if the donor is a family member"

The kettle was slammed down and there was a look of both terror and anger on Mrs Temple's face "That's what I was afraid of"

"You don't have to do this, I understand if you're scared. The doctor said he'd talk to you about the procedure and …."

"No, Connor, you don't understand at all!.... I would do anything for you, .....anything,.... I love you. .....But I can't be a donor for you. I discussed all this with your doctors the last time" her tears were flowing fast as she took her son's hand. "Connor, I won't be a match to you because … because, I'm not your mother. You're adopted"

* * *

_I'm no medical expert, so please, if there are any majors errors in this, please let me know by messaging me and I can do some edits. It's a delicate topic, and I want to make sure I'm doing it right - Thanks_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to ITV and Impossible pictures, no copyright is intended**

**A/N : A huge thank you to those that took the time to comment on chapter 1. As I said, this story covers a couple of sensitive subjects and I'm very conscious that I have little experience of both – so please, any dreadful errors I've made, please message me. **

**Chapter one covered the first part of the challenge, which was "**_**Connor is Sick, he needs a bone-marrow or organ transplant, something like that, but he finds out that he's adopted so the adoption agency, or whatever the UK equivalent is, if it's not called that, agree to unlock his file**_**"**

**The second part of the challenge will be covered by the end of this chapter ;)**

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Abby was wide awake, lying on her back staring at the ceiling of her hotel room. It was the first time she'd really been alone for a significant length of time since Connor's diagnosis. She was used to Connor being there, looking out for her, protecting her, and now suddenly he was the one that needed looking after. She'd been very careful not to let him see how scared she was, she'd only known two people with cancer before and both had died. She finally let down the wall she'd put up around herself and cried – not just a few tears like she'd already allowed herself, but a flood of raw, uncontrollable emotion. Connor was more than just her best friend and flat mate, and she couldn't imagine not having him in her life.

After leaving Connor at his mum's, she had gone to the local library and spent the afternoon on the internet. She needed to know more about Connor's illness, and what the treatments involved. It seemed the chemo was going to take it's toll on him, and then if they found a suitable bone marrow donor, that procedure would also make him ill and he'd have to be very careful not to be exposed to infections. She then started looking up about bone marrow donation, and was surprised to find that only a relatively small number of patients actually find a match from a family member, the rest have to rely on a bank of registered donors. Abby decided she was going to make something positive happen from all of this, and as soon as they got home, she was going to go and get a blood test and get herself on the register, maybe even get some the ARC team to go too.

--

Connor and his mum just sat, staring at each other. Connor's head felt like it was going to explode. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We always meant to. We kept putting it off, thinking you were too young to understand. The social worker gave us lots of advice on how to approach it and we finally decided that we'd take you away on holiday for your tenth birthday and tell you then" she dipped her head and wiped a tear from her eyes.

Connor closed his eyes. "But dad died just before we went away" His hand unconsciously slipped to the ring he wore around his neck.

"Our world was shattered, and you were completely devastated. I couldn't then turn around and tell you he wasn't really your dad could I? and maybe a part of me thought I'd lose you too" she looked at Connor, tears streaming down her cheeks. Connor came over and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry Connor, I should have told you"

"Yes, you should have" He broke his hold on her "My life has been a lie, I'm not the person I thought I was"

"That's not true Connor. We had you from a baby, we raised you … everything you have become is you .. that's not a lie. You're a good boy Connor, I'm so proud of you and your government job and your dad would be too" she held out her hand and tried to hug him, but he pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really confused right now" he stood up and tried to decide what to do next. Did he stay the night as planned or did he call Abby and ask her to pick him up? Suddenly he felt angry – he wasn't sure if he was angry at his mum, or if he was angry with himself, but he had to get out of there and clear his head. He walked out of the house and ran down the street.

He eventually stopped at the school he'd attended as a young boy. He gazed into the playground, holding onto the railings. His teacher, Miss Gregory, had been his first love, she had short blonde hair and big blue eyes, and she was always really kind. He remembered being teased by a couple of other boys in the class after his dad died, and she had comforted him. She'd let him fall asleep on the comfy chairs in the teacher's lounge and called his mum to come and get him. He wished Miss Gregory was here now. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what she looked like, but her face blurred and the harder he thought about her, the more his memory of her changed. The image in his head changed, and there was another blonde there. Abby. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and almost dialled her number, but changed his mind. He made his way back to his mum's.

--

When Abby picked Connor up the following morning, she could see he'd had a difficult time. He got into the car silently, and spoke only to give Abby directions to get back onto the motorway. He sat staring out of the side window. Abby tried to make conversation, telling him about a dinosaur show she'd seen on tv in the hotel, but he didn't seem to be even listening.

"Connor? How did it go with your mum? Is she going to be tested to see is she's a match?"

"She's not my mum" was all he could say.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she's not my mum. I'm adopted" he snapped.

"Adopted? …. Did you have any idea?"

"No. Bit of a bombshell eh?"

Abby was lost for words again. Poor Connor, first the return of his illness, and now this. After several more minutes of silence, she asked "Does she know anything about your real parents?"

Connor shook his head. "All I have are the details of the agency. Apparently I can apply to them to get access to my records and find out who they are, and then they'll help me make contact if it's possible"

"Are you going to?"

"I have to don't I? Mum's OK with it, she understands why I need to know. Maybe my real parents won't want to make contact, but if I have family who can help me get better…."

Connor closed his eyes. Abby wasn't sure if he was sleeping, or just shutting himself off from her for a while. She respected his space, and turned the radio on to a low setting to break the silence. Connor was supposed to be starting his treatment tomorrow, and that should be the only thing he was focussing on right now. She also feared that he was pinning his hopes on some kind of happy reunion with his real family and that they'd welcome him with open arms. She knew families were so much more complicated than that, and being related by blood did not necessarily mean you cared. She hadn't even spoken to her mum since she left home at 16, and it was only because Jack had kept some limited contact with their mum that she knew she was even still alive.

As soon as they got home, Connor disappeared up to his room. He packed the things he'd need for his stay in hospital into a small holdall, and then sat filling in a form online to request his birth records from the adoption agency. After an hour or so, he went back downstairs. Abby was sat on the sofa watching some chat show. Without a word, he sat next to her.

"Can I get you anything?" Abby said softly.

"No thanks"

"Got everything you need?"

"Think so. If I've forgotten something I can always ask you to get it .. if that's OK?"

"No problem, Conn" she looked at him, he was trying not to make eye contact with her, pretending to watch the TV.

"Abby?" he said after a few minutes "You will visit me won't you?"

She took his hand and squeezed it tight "Every day, if you want me to". He looked at her then and smiled. With a sigh, he rested his head on her shoulder, keeping a tight hold of her hand. He wasn't interested in the programme, he just needed to be near Abby. Abby wasn't interested in the programme either, but she needed to be near Connor.

--

Abby drove Connor to the hospital the next day, and sat around whilst he got settled into his bed – the place that would be "home" for at least the next month The doctor explained that Connor would have a tube inserted into his chest later today, ready to begin the chemo tomorrow morning. He was taking it all in his stride, and Abby couldn't help but feel proud of him – she knew she'd be a quivering wreck if it was her.

"You don't need to stay you know" Connor said when the doctor left.

"I know, I was waiting for the doctor to leave, I've got something for you" Abby reached inside her bag and pulled out a small gift bag. She handed it to him, blushing slightly.

Connor opened the bag. He pulled out three small plastic toy dinosaurs, cute cartoon type ones. Each had it's name written on the base … Rex, Sid, Nancy. "Aw Abby!" Connor grinned "Thank you!"

"Well, there's no way I could bring the real ones in, so I thought I'd get you something to remind you of them". He began arranging them on the top of the bedside unit. "There's another one in the bag too" Abby said. She was blushing bright red now, watching Connor take out a fourth, slightly larger dinosaur toy. The name on it's base was Abby.

"It's perfect!" he hugged her and then kissed her cheek lightly "Abby-saur can keep her eye on the other three when I'm not feeling up to it" he said, wiping a stray tear from his cheek.

"I'm glad you like them … look, I should get on and get into work. I'll pop in this evening though" she stood and kissed him gently on the lips. "See you later" she whispered.

But Abby didn't leave the hospital straight away. She went to speak to Connor's doctor. "I'd like to be tested to see if I can be a bone marrow donor for my friend" she said.

--

Abby was shocked how quickly she slipped into a routine, spending a couple of hours every evening after work at the hospital with Connor. The first cycle of treatment went well, and apart from him being very tired and a little queasy, Connor felt OK. There was a teenage boy in the bed next to him undergoing the same treatment, and Connor quickly discovered he was also a sci-fi geek. Abby had arrived on the fourth day to find the two of them deep in discussion and laughing. "Abby, will you hunt out that box of comics in my room tonight and bring them in? Scott may as well get some fun out of them" Connor said. Abby rolled her eyes and smiled. It was nice to see Connor smiling.

After a few days of "rest" from the treatment, the second cycle began. He felt ill within a few hours of it starting, and Abby had been quite shocked when she saw him lying in bed looking pale. He didn't feel much like talking, he just wanted to sleep. Abby didn't stay long that evening and driving home she couldn't get Connor's face out of her head. Up until now, you could almost forget how serious his condition was, but she'd now seen the reality and it scared her.

When she got home to the flat, the answering machine was flashing with two messages. One was from Connor's mum, she had managed to get into a B&B nearby for a couple of weeks and could Abby call her with the details of the hospital and the ward where Connor was. The other was from the UK adoption agency, advising that Connor's documents were being sent to him by recorded delivery and if he decides that he wanted to try and contact his birth family he was to contact them first. Was Connor ready for this when he was so ill?

--

The documents arrived the next day just as Abby was leaving for work. She signed for them and put them in her bag ready to give Connor that night when she saw him. However, when she got there, he seemed even worse than the previous night. The nurse had just left when Abby got there, she'd been trying to get him to have a drink of water. He was sat propped up with some pillows, and despite the fact he could barely keep his eyes open, he managed to smile when he saw Abby. "Hey!" he managed to squeak out

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Abby said, sitting on the bed next to him.

"Been better" he said. "I've been sick quite a bit today and the stuff they're giving me to try and stop it isn't working"

"You poor thing" Abby said, stroking his hair. He started to close his eyes. "I should let you sleep" she got up to leave

"Don't go" he said. "Talk to me. How's work?"

"It's OK, only had one anomaly whilst you've been in here, pretty boring really, nothing came through"

"Are Sid and Nancy behaving themselves?"

Abby chuckled, "Rex is keeping them in line as usual"

"And how are you?" he took Abby's hand.

She swallowed nervously "I'm OK" she said.

"I'm worried about you"

"You're worried about me?, Connor, you're the one that's ill here, not me!"

"You're doing so much at the moment, sorting my mum out, working, coming here… I've got people looking after me … who's looking after my Abby-saur?" Abby couldn't stop herself, she started crying. "Come here" Connor whispered, patting his chest. She rested on him, his hand stroking her hair.

She lay there, feeling guilty. Connor was the ill person and yet he was comforting her! After a few minutes, she could feel that Connor's breathing had changed. She looked up and he'd fallen asleep. She carefully sat up and kissed his cheek "thank you" she whispered and then tip-toed out.

Driving home, she remembered Connor's documents in her bag. She decided to wait until his break from treatment at the weekend to give them to him.

--

Connor stared at the sealed envelope resting on the bed in front of him. He hardly dare touch it, let alone open it.

"Do you want us to stay whilst you open it?" Mrs Temple said. "If you don't want me or Abby around …."

"No, it's OK mum. I'd like both of you here" he said. He took a deep breath and started to carefully open the large envelope. Abby was chewing her bottom lip, and Mrs Temple was fighting tears. The both watched Connor for a reaction as he read the contents.

"Well?" Mrs Temple said

"Doesn't tell me much, other than my birth mother's name. No father listed" Connor tried not to look disappointed. He'd hoped for some kind of life story, why had she given him up and so on.

"It's a start" Abby said. "The agency left a message and said if you wanted to track down your family we were to contact them. I suppose they can do all the detective work and then find out if your … mum .. wants to contact you"

"Abby, we work for the government, surely we can cheat a little?" Connor said "You could probably find her current whereabouts quicker than that agency"

"Maybe … but Connor …"

"Abby, please …. I don't have the luxury of time here. I promise that once we know where she is, we do it properly through the agency"

Mrs Temple looked at Abby. "I'll make sure that he doesn't try contacting her on his own, if you do whatever you have to do to trace this woman"

Abby reluctantly agreed, she knew exactly what to do, Connor had showed her several times how easy it was to find someone using their government level access.

--

So, first thing Monday morning, Abby shut herself in Connor's office at the ARC and began trawling through database after database. She didn't have much to go on, just the name, Helen Thompson, and a rough location based on the fact that he was born in Bradford General hospital. She found three Helen Thompsons, one would have only been four years old when Connor was born, and another of them had only moved into the area ten years ago. The third Helen had to be the one she was looking for, she was 15 when Connor was born, which explained why she'd given him up. Abby felt sorry for her, she must have been so frightened, a young girl with a baby. Maybe her family didn't even know she was pregnant or perhaps they'd disowned her?

Remembering everything Connor had shown her previously, she searched through census information and followed the trail down to Surrey university, where Helen was registered for a while, and then Abby found a marriage record. She pulled up the scan of the document onto the screen, and dropped the mug she was drinking out of. There had to be a mistake, surely? She triple checked her trail that had led her here. Helen Thompson married a colleague at the university where she worked…. A Professor Nicholas Cutter.

Abby gasped for air. How on earth did she tell Connor his real mother was Helen Cutter?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to ITV and Impossible Pictures, no copyright is intended**

**A/N: Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on the last chapter. No apologies for making you cry … that was the intention MWAHAHAHA! (and you should have seen my first drafting of this story .. pure evil!)**

**Onwards…..**

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Abby had been sat staring at the pile of documents she had printed out in front of her for several hours. The light was fading and she was aware most of the people in the ARC had already left for home. Normally Abby would have left by now herself, and would be on her way to the hospital, but she didn't know how she was going to face Connor. Danny stuck his head around the door to say goodbye, but when he saw Abby's face he came into the office.

"How's Connor?" he asked

"He's doing OK. The treatment is taking it's toll on him, but the doctor's seem happy with his progress" Abby raised a weak smile.

"Do you think he'd mind if I visited him tomorrow lunchtime, or another day?"

"Not at all! I think he'd welcome another friendly face"

Danny nodded, then took a deep breath "and how are you? You haven't been yourself since this started"

"I'm just worried about him, that's all" Abby said. "There's a whole load of other stuff he's having to deal with at the moment as well, and I'm about to drop yet another bombshell on him" she patted the documents. Danny looked at her questioningly.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Not really. It's personal stuff, and its not really for me to tell others about, its Connor's business, but thank you" Danny placed a hand on her shoulder

"Don't be afraid to ask for help, Abby. We're all here, just say the word and any one of us will be there for you" Abby smiled again, and Danny left, bidding her goodnight.

Abby gathered up the documents, slid them into a zipped document holder, and put that in her bag. She switched off the light and slowly made her way to her car. She couldn't put this off any longer.

--

Connor's mum was waiting for her when she arrived, which was unusual, she normally left around 5pm, leaving the evening for Abby to spend time with him. "What's wrong?" was Abby's immediate thought

"It's OK, I just wanted to prepare you" Mrs Temple said kindly

"Prepare me?" Abby said shakily.

"Come down to the canteen with me, lets have a coffee, and I'll explain" Abby followed Mrs Temple to the small canteen area, reserved for relatives of long term patients, an area where they could have a coffee and something to eat so they didn't have to leave their loved ones for too long. They sat at a table. "I've been through this before, I know what you're going through at the moment" Mrs Temple said.

"I hate seeing him like this" Abby said. She realised she was welling up with tears. Mrs Temple took Abby's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You said you wanted to prepare me?"

"They've increased Connor's dosages today, and it's already left him very weak. He got like this before, and he hated it. He became depressed, and frustrated, and that loving nature of his disappeared. He wasn't a pleasant person to be around for a while" Mrs Temple chuckled slightly. "I wouldn't take any nonsense from him though!"

Abby couldn't imagine Connor being unpleasant, but she understood why he'd get that way. He loved to be doing something, he must hate being stuck in a bed and not being able to physically do anything. "I won't take nonsense from him either"

"I know you wouldn't. You seem a strong girl. But it's still hard to see someone you care about so much change like this" Mrs Temple took a deep breath "He's also being given other medication on top of the chemo, so he's got more tubes and drips attached to him – he's being given antibiotics for a little infection he's picked up and something to help his kidney function. It all looks terrifying, but it just part of combating the side-effects of the chemo"

Abby drained the last of her coffee. "I'm scared I'm going to lose him" she said.

"So am I, sweetheart" Mrs Temple said, pulling Abby's tiny, shaking body towards her. It was the first time in a long time that she had felt the comforting arms of a "mother", and it felt so unfair to Abby that this lovely woman was not Connor's real mum and that that bitch Helen Cutter was. There was something terribly wrong in that situation. "He thinks the world of you, you know" she said

"Does he?" Abby said

"I feel I know you so well, he's always writing about you in his letters, and talks about you constantly"

"Well, he's pretty special to me too" Abby said. The two just sat for a moment, a mutual understanding existing between them.

"I'll let you go and see him, he'll be wondering where you are" Mrs Temple said. "I'll see you tomorrow". Abby watched her leave before making her way to Connor's bed.

--

Mrs Temple was right about it looking terrifying. Connor looked so vulnerable, almost childlike. His face looked gaunt, his skin pale, and although Connor had always been a bit on the skinny side, he looked even more so. He tried to sit up when Abby came in, but she told him to stay lying down if he wanted to. She could see he didn't really feel like chatting, so she did all the talking, stroking his slightly thinning hair and maintaining eye contact all the time.

Connor hated Abby seeing him like this and he'd almost told his mum to call her and ask her not to visit for a few days, but he also looked forward to her daily visits. It was his one connection to the outside world and he needed to hang on to that lifeline. He listened as Abby talked about the goings on at the ARC, she could have been reciting nursery rhymes for all he cared, he just wanted to hear her voice.

Abby was conscious of the documents she had in her bag. She couldn't tell him. It would devastate him, and she couldn't bear to see him any lower than he already was. But she couldn't with-hold the information either. He had a right to know, and a right to make a decision as to whether he wanted to let her know he was her son, and to ask if she would help him.

"Connor. I did some research on your real mother" she said

"Oh?" he croaked.

"I …. I could have made a mistake…. But I think I know who she is, her whereabouts is a little more difficult"

"I'm sure you haven't made a mistake, I taught you well!" he laughed. Abby tried to smile, but Connor could see something wasn't right. "Abby?"

She handed him the document wallet. "It's all there, Connor. You can check everything I searched through" he was already unzipping it and flicking through the papers. He was only really interested in the last page though, trusting Abby to have done the research properly. Abby waited, watching his face as he looked at the copy of the marriage certificate. As the reality dawned on him, his face crumpled. She wasn't sure if he was going to cry or get angry. "Connor… you OK?"

He threw the documents onto the floor "No, I'm not bloody OK!" he shouted. Abby calmly picked up the papers, gathering them up and sliding them back into the wallet. He'd gone silent, his face fixed into a stare.

"Connor, I …"

"Abby, just go, please!" Connor said. Abby chewed her bottom lip

"OK, if that's what you want. I understand this is not what you expected when you asked me to search for her, and it's taken me all day to even start getting my head around it. We'll talk tomorrow, if you want to" she got up and left. Connor didn't even say goodbye.

--

Abby wasn't surprised to get a phonecall the following day from Mrs Temple, Connor didn't want any visitors for a couple of days. Mrs Temple had said he was very down and she'd asked for one of the hospital counsellors to come and speak to him. Abby explained what had happened, and why the identity of his real mother was such a shock. Perhaps a professional was what Connor really needed now, someone who could help him make sense of everything that was happening to him. Abby was hurting though, she wanted to help him more than anything, and he was pushing her away when he needed her the most. She tried not to take it personally, realising it wasn't Connor, but the situation.

On the third day, after having some "me" time, Abby felt ready to be strong around Connor and be firm with him. Even if he protested, she would go and see him, and get him to talk about Helen Cutter. If he wanted her to know who he was, and what he might need from her, then Abby was prepared to go and seek her out.

"I don't need anything from that woman" Connor had said. "I'm not giving her the satisfaction of holding something over me like this"

"Are you sure about this?" Abby said

"I've thought of nothing else since I found out. I had the documents shredded. As far as I'm concerned, my mum is the woman that brought me up. I owe her more than I owe Helen Cutter" Connor was adamant.

"What if Helen is a suitable match for your bone marrow?"

"Do you really think she'd help me? She thought nothing of murdering her husband, and she doesn't strike me as someone with a natural maternal instinct"

Abby couldn't argue with him. This was his decision, and she had to respect it. The rest of her visit passed normally, discussion about work, a bit of silliness, and for the first time since the Helen bombshell, a feeling of closeness. As Abby was leaving, Connor's doctor arrived and asked if he could have a word with her. Puzzled, Abby followed him to one of the private offices at the side of the ward.

"Miss Maitland, first of all I just wanted to thank you for recruiting so many of your work colleagues to come to the blood donation session and to get tested for the bone marrow register. The national register has grown by 15 thanks to you" the doctor smiled at her.

"Wow, that's great!" she said.

"I also needed to check with you if you were still interested in specifically helping Connor"

"Of course. Anything I can do for him ….." she was nodding

"I'm pleased to hear it. Miss Maitland …. Abby …. Your tests show you are compatible match for Connor, and if you're still willing, we can start preparing you for donating for transplant into him once his course of chemo is over"

Abby squealed in delight "You're saying I can help Connor?" The doctor nodded. "Can I tell him?" The doctor laughed and nodded again.

"It's a long process, Abby, and you're both going to need counselling on this, and you may decide once you have the full facts that you don't want to go ahead…." But Abby didn't give the doctor chance to finish, she was already over at Connor's bed.

"We don't need Helen Cutter" Abby declared, a huge grin on her face. Connor looked at her, thinking she'd gone completely mad.

The doctor had followed Abby and was stood beside her. "We have located a suitable donor for you, Connor" he said.

"Really?.... Already?" Connor's heart was racing. "I didn't know we were looking"

"We weren't, but a few of your friends asked if they could help and they got tested. One of your friends is a suitable match"

"One of my friends?..... " he looked at Abby, the look on her face said it all "Abby?... it's you?" Tears were streaming down his face, but they were happy tears.

Abby couldn't speak, she just hugged him tighter than she'd ever done before. At last she could finally repay him for all the times he had saved her. Maybe it wouldn't work, she knew this wasn't going to be a miracle cure and that they were far from Connor being back to full health, but at least she was helping to give him the fighting chance he needed.

__0__

_Epilogue: Six months later._

Connor was sat on the balcony of the apartment, overlooking the swimming pool. He watched Abby doing lengths of the pool, thinking how beautiful she looked. He would have joined her, but he was still not 100% fit, and even short walks exhausted him, but he was getting there.

Everything had gone well and exactly as it should have. After his chemo ended, he had been allowed home for a couple of weeks to allow his body chance to recover. Those couple of weeks had been lovely, Abby waited on him hand and foot and made sure he was eating properly. She too had to look after herself, eating the right things, no alcohol, and both had to avoid getting a cold, so she was allowed to take the time off work.

Her job had been relatively easy, she'd just been left sore and bruised where they harvested the bone marrow from her hip, but apart from that she'd been OK. Once Connor had received the donation, he had to remain in hospital to allow his body to start producing its own blood cells again.

Ever since they'd come back from the Cretaceous, he'd been promising Abby a holiday to the beach, so here they were. Southern Portugal, beautiful scenery, gorgeous beaches and sunshine. He knew Abby never expected anything from him, but he would always be grateful for what she had done for him.

He watched her get out of the pool and start walking back towards the block, she waved at him and he felt a rush of happiness and love for her. Now that he was finding his strength again, he was thinking about maybe finally telling her how he felt. They had become really close these last few months, holding hands, little hugs, just sitting leaning on each other, and now he was ready to move forward.

"Good swim?" he called, as he heard Abby come into the apartment. She came out to the balcony, patting herself dry with a towel

"Yeah, I'm going to get a quick shower and then we can go and get some lunch if you like?"

"Sounds good to me" he smiled.

He waited. He heard her bedroom door click, and then he waited again. Round about now she would be finding the soft toy on her bed, a purple fluffy dinosaur. She'd be picking it up and reading the tag around its neck … Connor –saur loves Abby-saur. Then he held his breath.

The bedroom door clicked again and Abby came back out to the balcony. She flung her arms around Connor and kissed him, he kissed her back, enjoying the warmth and softness of her lips. "Love you too, Connor-saur" she whispered, then disappeared off to have her shower.

* * *

**A/N so, that's it … challenge completed. Hope I've done it justice. I already feel a sequel coming on, the Helen thing is not going to go away and it's going to come back and bite Connor big time…. But that's for another time ;)**


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